very wierd complication when burning discs

[darthrya]

For some reason, whenever I am authoring and burning a disc, regardless of the program I am using (Nero, plus some others common programs, etc.), my system starts running really slow. It wasn't like that until about a month ago.

Even more odd is that whenever I am in the process of burning, and I try to log onto the internet (I have dialup), my modem won't work. It sounds like it is dying when I do this. But, if I pause authoring/burning, it will log on just fine. But, after I log on, if I resume authoring/burning, it won't let me navigate. I just get kicked off the net.

Has anyone had this problem? I ran a virus scan, and nothing came up. I even ran an online virus scan through Norton's web site, and still nothing came up. I've gone to a friend's house and ran the same scenarios on his computers (which are older and slower), and he has no problems whatsoever. I've purged all unnecessary programs from booting up and running. The only thing I have running while authoring/burning is Norton 2007, and I've eliminated that as a possible cause. I have the same problem on my other computer in my two-way network, so I am pretty confident the hardware isn't dying on me.<!-- / message -->

Thanks for reading. I hope someone has some good information.
<!-- / message -->

[blutach]

Check your DMA. Also read and implement the Golden Rules of Burning.

Regards

[darthrya]

Check your DMA. Also read and implement the Golden Rules of Burning.

Regards

Thank you. My DMA is set correctly, and I have been following the golden rules for quite some time now. That is one reason why I am perplexed. This just started becoming a problem about a month ago.

[Chewy]

have you run spybot and/or adaware?

http://forum.digital-digest.com/showthread.php?postid=340957#post340957

what's this show for ram available?

Norton's is my prime suspect

[r0lZ]

Norton's is my prime suspect

I agree. Although I haven't used it for ages, I remember it had the bad habit to slow down the system incredibly, after some time.

Also, all Windows systems can become very slow (especially when booting) for some reason that I haven't understood yet. I recommend to reinstall Windows from scratch at least every 2-3 years or so. But you can also try to create another user account, and log in under this new account. Usually, it's sufficient to restore the normal behaviour and speed of Windoze.

BTW, it is preferable to not dial the net when burning!

[Experi-Mentor]

have you tried a "ctrl-alt-del" & looking in "processes" to see what's possibly draining your recourses ?

[rosariorose9]

...Also, all Windows systems can become very slow (especially when booting) for some reason that I haven't understood yet. I recommend to reinstall Windows from scratch at least every 2-3 years or so.

I do it every year or so. It's a major pain in the a$$, but it's AMAZING how dramatically it speeds up your system.

rosariorose9

[darthrya]

have you run spybot and/or adaware?

http://forum.digital-digest.com/showthread.php?postid=340957#post340957

what's this show for ram available?

Norton's is my prime suspect

I check for spyware regularly using different programs. If it is spyware, then it would have to be something very stealthy. As for RAM, I'll have to get back to you on that one.

have you tried a "ctrl-alt-del" & looking in "processes" to see what's possibly draining your recourses ?

Yes. System Idle wins hands down.

[darthrya]

I agree. Although I haven't used it for ages, I remember it had the bad habit to slow down the system incredibly, after some time.

Also, all Windows systems can become very slow (especially when booting) for some reason that I haven't understood yet. I recommend to reinstall Windows from scratch at least every 2-3 years or so. But you can also try to create another user account, and log in under this new account. Usually, it's sufficient to restore the normal behaviour and speed of Windoze.

BTW, it is preferable to not dial the net when burning!

It's not Norton, unless it was one of the updates. Norton has been very compatible with my system, with the exception of slowing down the boot and opening files.

I know dialing up while burning is not preferable, nor is multi-tasking, but as I told someone else, my system works fine with that. I get about 1 bad burn per 100 discs, and even when that happens, I can usually pinpoint the problem to being something else (such as accidentally living a slight finger smudge or a speck dust on the burn surface which ruins the burn).

I do it every year or so. It's a major pain in the a$$, but it's AMAZING how dramatically it speeds up your system.

rosariorose9

That's my project this summer. I don't download much at all, but for some reason, my system just keeps getting slower. I really wish software developers would work harder on compatibility and hogging up less resources.

[darthrya]

what's this show for ram available?

By the way, I have a gig of RAM, and when I multitask, it's only Internet Explorer and Microsoft Word while I am burning. Since I only go to text and picture pages (not video pages), and because I only run text on MS Word, neither of those programs use much memory.

[Chewy]

It's not as important how much memory you have available as how much you have loaded and what's using it. These are just signs of faulty/bad programs
running in the background.

look at my processes and memory available and compare to yours

with a gig windows will load a little more and take more, that's fine, but
whatelse is using it?

take total ram and subtract available to get what's in use

[darthrya]

Thank you Chewie. I definitely have more stuff running using more RAM, but I still think everything is kosher.

I'd provide a screen shot, but the processes have my first and last name.

Here's what I have running you do not:
smlcsvc.exe
AppSvc32.exe
devldr32.exe
MsPMSPSv.exe
wdfmgr.exe
AluSchedulerSvc.exe
smss.exe
nvsvc32.exe
ccApp.exe
CTSVCCDA.exe
sdhelp.exe

None of them are running the CPU, and none of them require more than 5 mb of RAM. I have 1047344 total memory and 657900 available. It really seems normal.

The issue appears not to be the memory, but how much burning sucks up my CPU's capability. Burning DVDs runs my 2.4 GHZ processor at 100%. It should not. I am just wondering if my burning programs have been corrupted to suck up more processor strength (if that is even possible).

I appreciate your time in helping out. This is very kind of you.

[Chewy]

Burning DVDs runs my 2.4 GHZ processor at 100%.

pio mode for sure

Thank you. My DMA is set correctly,

evidently not

http://winhlp.com/WxDMA.htm

[darthrya]

pio mode for sure



evidently not

http://winhlp.com/WxDMA.htm

I'll be a monkey's uncle. My primary drive was just fine, but my secondary, which I rarely use (only for copying CDRs), was listed PIO. I figured that couldn't be the problem, but it was. I changed it to DMA and my system is normal. It's the same case with my wife's computer, too.

Thanks for the tutorial link. I now understand that the system can change the settings without notifying me. That's why I was so perplexed - I didn't make any changes to my system, and the at fault drive is one I don't use for burning DVD files.

Everybody - thank you for your help. That's the second time you have helped me fix a DVD-related issue. Cheers!

[darthrya]

A quick question - lately I've been using some really crappy CDR media given to me as a gift. I've been getting coasters at a rate of 50% (no big deal since the media was a gift and I only use it for work presentations and other not-very-important things of a temporary nature), and I am wondering if this problem was what caused my system to move my secondary drive from DMA to PIO.